Comprising 99% of all-wheel-drive vehicles, the very first ADVENTURE OVERLAND SHOW was launched way back in October 2012 at Wilton Mill, near Daventry in Northamptonshire.
Being a go-kart circuit we obviously made good use of the facilities and the circuit itself, to the extent of holding a series of competitive trophy races. Nothing whatsoever to do with overlanding of course, but great fun nevertheless!
An instant success (we even ran out of day visitor parking), it was obvious a much bigger venue was required. The hunt was on for a centrally-located venue that could accept over 1,000 camping units.
11 months later in September 2013 saw the second ADVENTURE OVERLAND SHOW held, this time at the prestigious new setting of Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse in Warwickshire. Doubling the amount of traders, campers and day visitors, it also saw a lot more variety as expedition trucks (7.5 tonne and upwards) and a smattering of adventure motorcycles attended.
Another huge success, it was clear the ADVENTURE OVERLAND SHOW had found the perfect venue!
As the show steadily grew in stature with 4×4 manufacturers such as Land Rover and Toyota participating, the next milestone came in 2018 when it was decided to feature 2WD vehicles too, but how? It was clear the 4WD community loved the ADVENTURE OVERLAND SHOW the way it was, so understandably were reluctant to change. Yet with so many 2WD owners asking if they could attend, and our philosophy of encouraging everybody to attend regardless of their means of transport, there had to be a way of integrating a whole new community to the event.
Easy, the INTERNATIONAL CAMPERVAN SHOW was born! With the creation of a brand new entertainment area entitled Tom Dibb’s “Campervan Live Lounge” area featuring chill-out music and licensed bar, their own trade stands, seminars and display vehicles area, not only could the two communities co-exist, the diverse blend made the entire event even more interesting for the event’s visitors.
As part of the diversity, ‘Adventure Bikes’ too would have their own area, thereafter to be called the “Adventure Bike Zone” – yes, a lot of thought went into that one!!! – again with manufacturers such as CCM Motorcycles providing demo rides and traders specialising in motorcycle tours, accessories and equipment.
With the expansion of the event came a problem, albeit a nice problem. A show in September was fine as ‘the last major event of the season’, great to plan and buy gear for winter projects, but traders and visitors alike wanted more, thus it was decided to run two shows a year!
Known then and forever more as the ‘Spring’ edition (in April), and the ‘Late Summer’ edition (still in September), the shows have evolved ever since.
So much so, at every show we now regularly see the largest gathering of all-wheel-drive expedition trucks, camper-converted buses, coaches and horseboxes in the UK … plus some incredible self-built display vehicles from Tuk Tuks and Micro Campers to massive ex-army 8×8 lorries in the Field of Dreams … plus all types of bushcraft demos (Kev Keane’s “Bushcraft For Kids” amongst the most popular) … plus the “Travel Author’s Zone” … plus the ever-popular Night Market … plus free tutorials like “Lithium Battery Building” by Offgrid Power Solutions … plus themes where everyone can join in and dress up like 60s/70s discos, vikings with re-enactments, stone age, the list goes on!
We did however hit a massive bump in the road in 2020 and 2021, when both the show and the entire county shut down due to the Covid pandemic. Adhering to government restrictions we had to cancel three shows, so we ran a virtual BBQ and a series of travel crosswords on social media as a distraction during those dark days.
Thanks to NHS staff and the key workers we came out the other side mostly unscathed, unfortuately not everybody was so lucky. We as organisers are in the business of providing entertainment, they provided hope!!!
On to 2023.
In June we tried to launch a brand new event at the racecourse entitled CAMPERJUMBLE for private individuals to sell off their unwanted camping gear and equipment or campervan vehicles for sale – a boot sale for camping-related kit if you like! Directly alongside was LANDYJUMBLE where owners were given the opportunity to part with any secondhand Land Rover/4×4 spares and/or accessories they had accumulated over the years – an autojumble for the vehicles we use as campers/towing vehicles for caravans, trailer tents.
Unfortunately, right in the middle of a spell of beautiful weather, the Met Office issued a yellow weather alert warning of major thunderstorms over the weekend, with the band of heavy rain stretching from Bristol to Birmingham … with Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse laying right in it’s path.
It transpired the storms didn’t hit the region until Sunday night, but obviously it would have been irresponsible to press ahead. The risk was too great, so frustratingly we postponed the event to September’s ‘Late Summer’ edition of the show this September.
Judging by your feedback, the inclusion of CAMPERJUMBLE & LANDYJUMBLE as another element of the show is proving to be a popular move, so almost certainly it will become a regular feature of future events. For booking and general information, go to CAMPERJUMBLE & LANDYJUMBLE.
As for the present, we have decided to re-brand the entire event. No longer will it be known as the ADVENTURE OVERLAND SHOW + INTERNATIONAL CAMPERVAN SHOW, the new title will be:-
ADVENTURE OVERLAND & CAMPERVAN SHOW
Far easier to remember, accordingly the event also has a new logo incorporating all the attractions that make the event so memorable.
Last but definitely not least –
Far too many to mention, a massive THANK YOU to our events team of non-paid volunteers, without whom running our shows would not be possible!